Rail bolt



H. C. GRAHAM Nov; 14, 1933.

RAIL BOLT INVENTOR Nov. 14, 1933.

H. c. GRAHAM 1,935,206

RAIL BOLT Filed Oct. 19, 1932 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nw C INVENTOR h wuzjd 6.

Patented Nov. 14, 1933 BAIL BOLT Harry 0. Graham, Coraopolis Heights, Pa.

Application October 19, 1932. Serial No. 638,556

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fastening devices; and, while it is not limited to any particular situation, I shall show and describe it in the application where it has been developed:

5 in application, namely, to the securing together of the rails of a railway. The problem which has confronted, and which continues to confront, the designers of such equipment is to work out a rail fastener that shall be secure, easy of application, and easy of release. In a solution of that problem the invention is found.

In the accompanying mentary view in side elevation, showing the fastening device of the invention employed in securing the fish-plate of a rail-joint to the rails. Fig.'II is a view in transverse section of the assembly, the plane of section being indicated by the line IIII, Fig. I. Fig. III is a fragmentary view showing in plan from above a portion which in Fig. II appears in side elevation. Fig. IV is a view in side elevation of a certain follower-plate, as it is formed before an ultimate bending. Fig. .V is a view in perspective of the follower-plate .after it has been bent to final, finished shape. Fig. VI is a view in perspective of a slotted bolt which is another element of the structure. Figs. VII and VIII are views in perspective, illustrating modifications in details of the structure of the followerplate. Fig. IX shows in side and end elevations of a wedge-key which forms part of the assembly, and in this figure a refinement in structure is shown which may, if desired, be employed. Referring first to Figs. I and II, two fish-plates l, 1 are shown in position upon opposite sides of the abutting ends of two rails 2, 2. The fish-- plates overlie the ends of the two rails. The fishplates engage from beneath the rail heads and from above the base flanges of the rails, and they are secured by spikes to the cross-ties.

of the rails and of the fish-plates are perforate, and bolts 3, 3 penetrate the aligned bolt holes.

These bolts with their accessories constitute the;

plates adapted to enter, and when the. assembly .is completed to occupy simultaneous positions within, the slot 32 in the bolt. The opposite edges 100 fastening means. The showing of Fig. I willbe I recognized to be diagrammatic, in that no more than two of a total of six bolts are shown in position; the complete'assembly will not, however,

for that reason, be misunderstood.

As best seen in Fig. II, the fish-plates preferably are provided,'as is usual, in pairs,-on opposite sides of the rail-ends, and each bolt extends through the .twofish-plates of a pair,'as well as through the web of the rail. It is common practicelto form the. track bolt 3 both with a forged head 30 and. with an oval neck 31, and to form a corresponding oval perforation 20 in one of the fishdrawings, Fig. I is a frag- The webs plates, to the end that the bolt when assembled in place shall be secure against rotation. This is a feature originally employed upon a bolt with a threaded shank, upon which a nut was screwed, and its function was to prevent turning of the 0 bolt while the nutlwas being tightened. Although in the practice of this invention a nut screwed upon the bolt is not employed, and other fastening means are used instead, I find it convenient,

if only to insure a particular relative positioning 5 of the assembled parts, to retain this feature, of

a bolt with an oval neck entering an oval perforation in the fish-plate.

The shank of the bolt is slotted, as at 32. The slot is preferably formed by punching the otherwise finished stem of the bolt, while the metal still is hot. It is the outer, bounding wall 33 of the slot in the stem of the bolt which affords a bearing su'rfacefor a wedge assembly presently to be' described. Theslot is so particularly placed that the loop it forms is strong to resist strain tending to tear it open; and the outer wall of the loop in its transverse extent is substantially perpendicular to the bolt axis. The loop and the wedge-key, which forms one element of the wedge 30 assembly presently to be described, are advantageously so shaped and relatively proportioned that 'thewedge-key when driven home is held frictionally against displacement. One way to realize thatfeature is to form the slot in the bolt- 35 shank with a constriction at a proper intermediate point in, its extent, and this constriction may take the form of a ridge or ridges extending transversely of the bolt and longitudinally of the slot.

Fig. VI shows two suchridges 34, oppositely placed. Such a narrowing of the slot'is convenientlyeffected by theshape of the die used in punching the slot.

The'wedge assembly which co-operates with "the slotted bolt to constitute the fastening device includes a wedge-key 5 and a followerplate 6. These two members are both of them of both of these two plates are straight edges, angularly inclined one to the other; and the angular inclination of the opposite edges is the same in the two plates. When, then, the two plates are brought together in edge-to-edge meeting, the outerv edges of the assembly extendin parallelism. The follower-plate 6 when brought to place in the slot in the bolt-shank continues substantially fixed in its position; the wedge key 5' is movable, in order to effect alternately the securing and the release of the fastening device. In order to ensure fixedness of position for the follower-plate while the wedge-key moves, the follower-plate is provided with an abutment adapted in the assembly to engage and to bear upon the body of the bolt-shank. The preferred form in which such abutment is effected (in which other advantages are realized) is that shownin detail in Figs. IV and V.

The follower-plate is first formed as a flat plate of the outline shown in Fig. IV, and is afterwards bent to the U shape shown in Fig. V. The inclined edge of the plate is formed in two portions: the portion A-B slopes from one edge of the plate downward and inward (Fig. IV) and the other portion C-D, beginning at the opposite edge of the plate, at a maximum interval from the opposite edge equal to the interval from the point B to the opposite edge, slopes downward and inward. When, then, the plate is bent to U shape, with its two arms in parallelism, the two edges A-B and (3-D slope in the same direction; and both arms of the plate increase in breadth from the bend toward the extremities. The breadth of the U to which the plate is shaped is such that either arm may enter freely the slot in the bolt-shank, that the member may occupy a position such as is sufficiently indicated in Figs. I-III. The opposite straight edge EF of the plate is advantageously rounded, to the end that this edge may in the assembly engage I the outer wall 33 of the slot in the bolt-shank.

freely in the bolt-slot, frictional resistance at-' tends its advance in the narrowed portion of the slot. In the particular case illustrated, the ridges 34, 34 may be so particularly shaped and proportioned that they actually bite into the substance of the wedge-key driven home between them.

Fig. IX serves to indicate that, instead of forming a ridge or ridges or otherwise locally constricting the slot in the bolt-shank, the wedgekey may, to accomplish the same end, be locally thickened. Specifically, the wedge-key 5a is here shown to be provided with a ridge 54 extending upon one face (manifestly, duplicate ridges might be formed on the opposite faces) of the wedgekey. The ridge extends in parallelism with that edge (the edge 55) which engages the fish-plate,

and is conveniently remote from the edge '55 at such distancev that in making assembly the wedge-key maybe freely introduced into the slot and advanced'part way, and that it will not come into effect, more firmly to hold the wedgekey within the slot, until it is advanced further toward its ultimate position.

Assembly is made by introducing one of the arms of the U-shaped follower-plate in the slot in the bolt-shank, advancing it until the bend of the U abuts upon the body of the bolt-shank, and then introducing the wedge-key, narrow end first (and, relatively to the follower-plate, in a direction from the bend of the U toward the extremities of its arms), and driving it home. In this advance of the wedge-key its opposite edgesengage the face of the fish-plate and one of the edges of the follower-plate,either the edge AB or the edge C-D, according as one arm or the other of the follower-plate is introduced into the slot. In driving the wedge-key home, the opposite ridges 34 bite into its substance (or the ridge 5e bites into the substance of the bolt) and hold it the more securely.

The U-shaped follower-plate has, in its adaptability to varying conditions of application, effective length of a flat plate of twice its length, and the results of bending to U shape are: first, that by abutment of the bend of the U upon the body of the bolt the follower-plate is functionally integrated with the body of the bolt, it is incapable of displacement in the direction of advance of the wedge-key, and the movement in fastening is movement of the wedge-key only; and, second, that the wedging stresses are concentrated within a minimum space, relatively to the bolt-axis. That is to say, with afollowerplate of double the length, with continuous inciined edge, the engagement of the wedge-key upon the follower-plate will ordinarily be throughout the greater part of the extent of that edge, and the stresses accordingly will be exerted over a relatively wide space interval. In the improved device, with equal capacity, these strains are confined within a narrower interval. This is manifestly an advantageous feature and characteristic.

Instead of relying upon the abutment of the bend of the U of the follower-plate upon the substance of the bolt-shank, in order to resist displacement while the wedge-key is being driven A home, the follower-plate may be provided with 110 a special abutment or abutments to serve that same end. Fig. VII shows internal abutments '70, which, manifestly, will serve the purpose indicated, and Fig. VIII shows external abutments 71.

The improved follower-plate being of bifurcated form, its formation from a single continuous piece, as illustrated in Fig. IV, is, when the invention is considered broadly, a matter of economy. The bifurcated form may be otherwise 120 achieved. This is particularly indicated in Fig.

key may be driven in, between the follower-plate and the wall 33 at the outer end of the slot. will be remarked that the follower-plate 6, as

shown in Fig. V, has one edge rounded, and in that respect it is adapted to the particular arrangement, shown in Fig. II, where the'rounded edge is shown in engagement with the rounded 14G end wall 33 of the slot. The follower-plates of Figs. VII and VIII are square-edged, and in that particular they are adapted to the alternate position indicated, in immediate abutment upon the surface of the fish-plate. The wedge-key, otherwise square-edged, will, in case the arrangement be alternative to that shown in Fig. II-that is to say, in case the wedge-key, engages the wall 33 at. the outer end of the slot,-be round-edged, as indicated iii-Fig. IX. It Will, however, be understood that this feature of a round-ended slot and of round-edged follower-plate and round-edged wedge-key is a detail that is related to economy in production. It is quite possible, and, so far as concerns the functioning of the parts, it is equally satisfactory, to form all these abutting surfaces as plane surfaces, perpendicular to the midplane of the wedging parts.

In the preferred arrangement of Fig. II, the fastening stress, exerted between the wall 33 of the bolt-slot and the outer edge of the followerplate is transmitted to meeting surfaces of greater extent between follower-plate and wedge-key, and to meeting surfaces of still greater extent between wedge-key and fish-plate. (The surfaces of meeting between follower-plate and wedgekey, also be it remarked, are, in consequence of features of structure which have been explained, advantageously situated within a relatively narrow space interval from the axis of the bolt.) Such increase in the extent of the successive areas of stress transmission (approximately centralized, as has been explained) tends to render the assembly more secure, in that the elements are stronger to resist strains without distortion.

Assembly is easily effected, and it is secure. It admits of unfastening, by the driving out again of the introduced wedge-key. The biting engagement of the ridges 34,34 upon the wedgekey (or of the ridge or ridges 54 upon the wall of the slot) will constitute an additional preventive against the loosening of the wedge-key in the bolt-slot and consequent failure of the fastening.

This fastening device, designed primarily for securing together the rails of a railway track, is available for general use: for example, in temporarily securing plates of metal together which ultimately are tobe riveted or welded.

I claim as my invention:

1. A fastening device including a bolt with slotted shank and a wedge assembly adapted to lie within and to be made effectivewithin the slot in the shank of the bolt, such wedge assembly including a follower-plate and a wedge-key, the follower-plate consisting of a U-shaped member with opposite edges inclined one to another and adapted to come to position with the bend of the U bearing upon the body of the shank of the bolt, and the wedge-key consisting of a plate with 0pposite edges inclined one to another.

2. A fastening device including a bolt with slotted shank, the slot in the shank being constricted at a point intermediate its length and being of greater width toward both of its two ends,

a follower-block adapted to be introduced into the slot in the bolt-shank, and a wedge-key adapted to be introduced and driven home in such slot, the thickness of the wedge-key being such,

relatively to the breadth of the slot, that, else-.

. where advancing freely, frictional strains are exerted upon it in the constricted portion of the slot.

3. A fastening device including a slotted bolt form width, a follower-plate with opposite, relatively inclined edges, adapted to be introduced in the slot, and a wedge-key with opposite, relatively inclined edges adapted to be introduced into the slot and to be driven home beneath the eminence in the slot wall.

4. A fastening device including a bolt with slotted shank, the slot in the shank being ridged and by such ridging narrowed at a point intermediate its length while of greater width toward both of its two ends, a follower-block adapted to be introduced into the slot in the bolt-shank, and a wedge-key adapted to be introduced and driven home in such slot, the thickness of the wedge-key being such, relatively to the breadth of the slot, that, elsewhere advancingfreely, com- 7 pressive strains are exerted upon it in the ridged wedge-key with opposite, relatively inclined edges adapted to be introduced into the slot simultaneously with the follower-block, said wedge-key being provided with a longitudinally extending eminence whereby, as the wedge-key is driven home, it makes, by virtue of such eminence, frictional engagement with the slot walls.

6. A fastening device including a bolt with slotted shank and a wedge assembly adapted to lie within and to be made effective within the slot in the shank of the bolt, such wedge assembly including a follower-plate and a wedge-key arranged edge to edge within the slot, the follower-plate having opposite inner and outer edges angularly inclined to one another and being consequently of diminishing width from end to end, and having, adjacent its narrower end, a transverse abutment, increasing at that point its thickness, such abutment in the assembly engaging the body of the bolt along a longitudinal'edge of the slot and by such engagement holding the plate against further advance in the slot, and the wedge-key consisting of a plate with opposite inner and outer edges inclined to one another.

7. A fastening device including a bolt with slotted shank and a wedge assembly adapted to lie within and to be made effective within the slot in the shank of the bolt, such wedge assembly 

